A Wireless To Heaven
by shana.rose
Summary: It's 1924 and Miss Sybbie Branson asks her father about the strange new contraption that has come to Downton. A 3x05 Canon fic.


**A/N: The song below is called I Wish There Was A Wireless To Heaven sung by Irving Kaufman. The first time I saw the poster for the song I immediately thought of little Sybbie, and after hearing the song I just had to write it.**

* * *

_I wish there was a "Wireless" to Heaven, _

_And I could speak to Mama ev'ry day, _

_I would let her know, by the Radio, _

_I'm so lonesome since she went away. _

_I wish that I could only send a message, _

_And hear my Mama answer me and say, _

_"Hush a bye my darling, dry your tears, don't cry, _

_Mama dear is watching baby from the sky." _

_I wish there was a "Wireless" to Heaven, _

_Then Mama would not seem so far away. _

* * *

Sybbie looked at the box curiously before staring up at her father. "Da what is it?"

Tom kneeled down and smiled at his daughter. "It's a wireless radio, sweetheart."

The wireless had arrived early that morning. After watching his sisters-in-law hint and probe Robert for months, he had finally given in and bought one when he was in London last week talking to Murray.

He grinned as he remembered what Sybil's grandmother had said when it arrived. _"Is it still 1922 or have we jumped into the future?"_

Sybbie ever the curious and restless soul was studying the black box thoroughly, examining every knob and button carefully. _Just like her mother _he thought, swallowing hard.

She put her hand under her chin like she'd seen her Da do many times. "What does it do?"

"It broadcasts programs and music, Sybbie."

Sybbie now walked around it, circling the box as she studied it. "What kind of programs?"

Tom couldn't help but smile. She was curious and not for the first time he wondered if Sybil had been like this when she had been Sybbie's age.

"Well news, stories-"

"Stories? How?" Sybbie asked, finally looking away from the radio.

Tom pulled Sybbie into his lap as he explained how the broadcasters sent their voices through a microphone and transmitted to the radio.

Sybbie looked at the box in awe. "And it goes here!"

"Not just here, sweetheart, but to all the radios that it can reach."

Scrunching up her face, she asked seriously, "How far can it reach?"

Smiling, Tom replied "As far as you wish."

* * *

Tom had finally finished looking over the books and was heading towards the library when he heard his daughter talking.

Frowning, he followed the sound of her voice to the main hall where the wireless was set-up. She was sitting in the chair next to the radio talking into a string she had most likely wrapped around the machine herself.

She laughed. "And then Da fell to the ground and admitted defeat!"

Tom smiled as he listen to her talk. Was she pretending to have her own program?

"Did you see, Ma? Da says that you're watching over us from Heaven."

Tom felt the strings of his heart tug as tears came to his eyes. Brushing away the stray tears that were glistening in his eyes, he watched as his daughter sighed sadly.

Moving over carefully, Tom asked, "Sweetheart what's wrong?"

He watched as her lower lip trembled. "Why doesn't Ma talk back? Doesn't she want to talk to me?"

His face softened as he wiped the tears that became to fall off her face. "Oh Sybbie, of course she does."

Letting the tears fall freely, Sybbie mumbled out, "Then- why- won't- she talk- to mee!"

Tom wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight. Swallowing hard, he tried to find a way to tell her the truth. Sighing, he cupped her face. As he looked into his sweet child's eyes, he thought she had Sybil's eyes.

"Because the wireless in heaven is broken," he stuttered out. "It- Your Ma can hear everything perfectly, but the part of the wireless that allows her to talk back is broken."

"Oh," Sybbie said. He could see her mind processing his words. As the tears finally stopped, she asked, "Why doesn't Ma get it fix?"

_An excellent question_, Tom thought ruefully. Thinking fast, he replied, "Because the wireless in Heaven is brand new and no one up there knows to fix it."

Sybbie seemed satisfied and reached for her string again. "Sybbie?"

"Yes Da?"

Holding her small hand in his, he said, "She loves you so much, Sybbie. So very much."

He watched as his daughter's eyes lit up and as she sat down in his lap, Tom listened as Sybbie Branson said, "I love you too, Ma."


End file.
